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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26326426">In Need of Assistance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPshipper98/pseuds/OTPshipper98'>OTPshipper98</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLightFury/pseuds/TheLightFury'>TheLightFury</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arachnophobia, Fluff, Getting Together, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Ron's a supportive best friend, Snark, Supportive Ron Weasley, Truth or Dare, Zabini's tired of Malfoy's shit but still a great friend</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:14:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26326426</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPshipper98/pseuds/OTPshipper98, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLightFury/pseuds/TheLightFury</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Just go pee, Malfoy. It’s not going to kill you.”<br/>“You don’t know that.”<br/>“It didn’t kill <i>me</i>.”<br/>“You’re Harry bloody Potter, it doesn’t count.”</p><p>Rooming with the Slytherins was never going to be uneventful. But Harry definitely never expected <i>this</i>.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>553</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In Need of Assistance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The incredible OTPshipper98 came to me with a suggestion for a collab and this is what came out of it! I couldn't have asked for a better collab partner :D Hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“AHHHH!” </p><p>Harry and Ron exchanged a confused look as a yell from the bathroom interrupted their sleepy morning shuffles. Eighth year was in full swing, lessons began at the crack of dawn, and no-one was happy about it this morning. But that didn’t mean it was worth screaming about. </p><p>A second later, a half-shaven Malfoy stumbled out of the bathroom, hair flying in every direction as he panted. Wild eyes finding everyone’s confused attention on him, he paused, quickly smoothing a hand down his rucked shirt.</p><p>“Um…” he stumbled, visibly taking a breath. “Blaise, I’m in need of some assistance.” </p><p>The Italian sighed.</p><p>“Can’t you just… vanish it or something?”</p><p>“Vanish what?” Ron asked, suspiciously.</p><p>“Nothing that concerns you, Weasley,” Zabini muttered in a bored tone.</p><p>“Blaise, I mean it."</p><p>“Fiiiine, keep your hair on, I’m coming.” After hauling himself off his bed, Zabini strolled past the practically twitching Malfoy into the bathroom, re-emerging a few seconds later looking just as bored and refined as ever. Only his tightly curled fist—that Malfoy vehemently avoided with comically wide eyes—suggested anything was wrong. Before Harry could ask what the hell was going on, Zabini had opened a window, stuck his hand out, shaken it, and was closing it again. </p><p>“There. Done. Finish getting ready," he commanded. To Harry’s surprise, for once in his life, Malfoy did what he was told without comment, practically scurrying back into the bathroom.</p><p>
  <em> What in the…? </em>
</p><p>“What was that about?” Harry asked. But of course, Zabini merely donned his robes, ignoring him entirely. </p><p>“What was in your hand?” Ron demanded. But still, the Italian simply grabbed his bag and breezed out of the dorm. Arrogant bastard.</p><p>Exchanging a final look of utter bewilderment with him as the sound of running water joined the periodic sighs and curses that always commentated the dorm’s morning routine, Ron shrugged, donning his robes and leaving Harry no choice but to do the same. Apparently, Malfoy screaming in the morning was just another oddity he was going to have to get used to now he was rooming with the Slytherins.</p><p>*</p><p>He held the handle tightly, edging the door open inch by inch, determined to make as little noise as possible as he entered the dorm way past curfew. </p><p><em> Old habits die hard</em>, Harry thought to himself with a wry smile. A long Potions lesson had left him in dire need of some tea at Hagrid’s, and then the cool night air had been too nice to resist. Before he’d known it, he’d been staring at the stars for a few hours. Only the looming threat of McGonagall’s wrath in Transfiguration in the morning had forced him back into the castle.</p><p>Bypassing his bed for the bathroom, the snores of his dorm-mates sent a yawn shivering through him. Bed definitely sounded like a good idea…</p><p>“Are you going in there?”</p><p>Harry wheeled around, coming face to face with a silhouetted figure sat cross legged on the bed. </p><p>“Jeez, Malfoy! What are you doing, trying to kill me?!” he whispered, trying to slow his racing heart. </p><p>“If I was trying to kill you, you’d be dead, believe me,” Malfoy bit back. Harry just rolled his eyes, the pressure in his bladder reminding him of more important things.</p><p>“Whatever, Malfoy. Go to sleep before you terrify someone else.” </p><p>“Wait!” The sound of Malfoy’s feet hitting the floor reached his ears. “I—Um—Are you going into the bathroom?” </p><p>Harry frowned.</p><p>“No, you see, this is actually a secret door to an alternate universe where I own a bakery and I’m late opening it, so if you’ll excuse me." </p><p>“Oh fuck off, Potter," Malfoy spat.</p><p>"Gladly."</p><p>But as he pushed the door open, an honest to god squeak came from behind him. Incredulous, Harry turned back to the pointy git, studying him. One of his feet was mounted over the other, avoiding the cold stone of the bedroom, and he was shaking slightly. No—he was doubled over like he was in pain. Harry squinted. </p><p>“Malfoy, why are you awake?”</p><p>Malfoy tried, and failed, to seem nonchalant. </p><p>“N—No reason.” </p><p>Harry huffed. </p><p>“Look, I’m exhausted. If you don’t want me to know, go wake Zabini up and ask him again to deal with whatever—”</p><p>“I—I can’t. He has an Ancient Runes exam in the morning.” </p><p>“Well, then. Whatever’s in there isn’t worse than a Basilisk, is it?”</p><p>“Depends on who you ask.” Malfoy grimaced. When Harry glared at him, he muttered, “Okay, fine. It’s not. You’ll be fine. Probably.”</p><p>“Good enough,” Harry said. He opened the bathroom door, but looked back at Malfoy, who hadn’t moved and was looking at him intently. “Malfoy.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You’re staring. It’s weird.”</p><p>“Oh. Oh! Yeah. Don’t mind me.”</p><p>“Fucking hell,” Harry grumbled, but decided to ignore the Slytherin and go pee regardless. Malfoy was old enough and ugly enough to take care of himself.</p><p>Despite his efforts, Harry couldn’t stop himself from staring around as he did his business. There weren’t any ghosts around; no strange voices hissing behind the walls, no Boggarts crawling in the corners. The most exciting things he could spot were the annoying, constant dripping of their wonky tap, and a small spider chilling on the ceiling right above his head. </p><p>Unless…</p><p>Nah, that couldn’t be it. Could it? It did sort of make sense, what with Zabini carrying <em> something </em> in his fist that one morning and throwing it out the window… But the idea of Malfoy being scared—no, <em> terrified</em>—of spiders was... absurd. Hilarious. <em> Interesting</em>.</p><p>When he walked back into the bedroom, Malfoy was still exactly where he’d left him. Harry smirked to himself, leaving the bathroom door ajar and walking past him without a word. Waiting to see what Malfoy would do.</p><p>“Did you—” Malfoy murmured after a moment of silence, just as Harry sat on his bed. “Did you... see anything?”</p><p>“I did, actually,” Harry said casually as he untied his shoes. “There was this ginormous dump that someone had left there, floating endlessly in the deep waters of the toilet—”</p><p>“I’m serious!”</p><p>“Oh, and there was also a tiny spider somewhere around there.”</p><p>“It wasn’t—! It wasn’t <em> tiny</em>,” Malfoy grumbled, raising his nose in the air. “It was… moderately intimidating.” </p><p>Harry bit his lip so as to stifle a chuckle.</p><p>“Just go pee, Malfoy. It’s not going to kill you.”</p><p>“You don’t know that.”</p><p>“It didn’t kill <em> me</em>.”</p><p>“You’re Harry bloody Potter, it doesn’t count.”</p><p>“Malfoy…”</p><p>“You know I have a point!”</p><p>Harry sighed. “Do you want me to get rid of it?”</p><p>“You… would?” Malfoy said, tone shifting to an almost pleading one. How long he must’ve been lying awake trying not to pee himself, only Merlin knew.</p><p>“If it’s going to shut you up…” </p><p>“Yes. <em> Yes</em>. Most certainly it will. Please—?”</p><p>Rolling his eyes, Harry got back to his feet and made his way to the bathroom, followed at a cautious distance by a visibly distressed Malfoy.</p><p>While he climbed the toilet, Harry murmured, “I always used to sleep with several of these over my head, you know. They mostly leave people alone. And even when they don’t, their bites don’t hurt that much.” </p><p>When he climbed back down, spider in hand, Malfoy was staring at him from the threshold in a mixture of awe and horror.</p><p>“I don’t believe you.”</p><p>“Don’t, then,” Harry shrugged. “How come you’re so scared of them, anyway?”</p><p>“It’s called being <em> sensible</em>, Potter. Anyone smart or without a deathwish would want to keep their distance around them.”</p><p>“And by keeping the distance, I assume you mean screaming to the top of your lungs?”</p><p>“That was different! The fucker was right in front of my face when I leaned into the mirror.”</p><p>The spider, still in his fisted hand, crawled around in his palm, making him shiver slightly. He might not mind spiders, but the sensation wasn’t exactly pleasant.</p><p>“You’re impossible,” Harry concluded with a shake of his head. “I’ll get rid of this one. You go… pee, or whatever. We’ll talk in the morning.”</p><p>*</p><p>He was about to follow a very grumpy Ron down the stairs to the Common Room when a hand grasped his wrist and pulled him back into their dorm.</p><p>“Good morning to you too,” Harry said, too sleepy to sneer back at Malfoy when he caught sight of his expression.</p><p>“You’re not going to tell him about last night, are you?” Malfoy pointed his chin toward the stairs as he talked. “Because if you do, I swear to Salazar, Potter, I will turn the rest of your school year into a living hell.”</p><p>“Sure, sure.” Harry yawned. “Look, I’ve had enough terrible years already. I’m not about to do anything that could disrupt the shaky peace of our dorm. Relax, okay?”</p><p>Malfoy leaned forward, giving him a glare that he was sure was meant to be intimidating. “You’d better.”</p><p>“Mate, where are you—oh.”</p><p>Harry watched with increasing horror as Ron’s expression changed into one of realisation, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red as he took note of the way Malfoy was leaning over him—the way he was pressed against the bedroom wall. Fuck, why the hell had Malfoy cornered him against the bedroom wall?!</p><p>“Er—I’ll—I’ll wait in the Great Hall, then. Leave you two to…” He gestured vaguely. “Yeah.”</p><p>“Ron, it’s not—!” Harry started, pushing Malfoy away from him and running for the door. But Ron was already out of sight. He leaned against the doorframe, cursing silently. </p><p>“What the fuck?” said Malfoy from behind him.</p><p>“Congratulations,” Harry muttered, slowly turning around. “Ron still doesn’t know you’re terrified of spiders. He simply thinks you were about to snog me senseless!”</p><p>“What?! Why in Merlin’s name would he think that?”</p><p>“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you had me pressed against the bloody wall?!”</p><p>“I didn’t —!” Malfoy started, cheeks aflame, but gave up with a huff when Harry raised his eyebrows at him. “Look, let’s just—let’s just go get breakfast. And you”—he pointed an accusatory finger at Harry—“had better convince the Weasel that we were arguing over something completely heterosexual and absolutely not spider-related. Is that clear?” </p><p>“Whatever, Malfoy.” Harry turned to leave, letting a small smile slip now that the Slytherin couldn’t see him. Gosh, Malfoy was so funny when he was flustered it was almost endearing. “Come on.”</p><p>*</p><p>“Mate, you can’t be serious.”</p><p>Harry felt Malfoy’s groan in his very soul as they walked out of the Potions ingredients cupboard. </p><p>“It’s the third time this month!” Ron hissed as they made their way back to their cauldron. “And we’re in the middle of class! You know I love you, Harry, but this is getting out of hand.”</p><p>“Zabini wasn’t around to help him,” Harry muttered. “You know, if you really did love me, you’d believe me when I tell you that—”</p><p>“Ah, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley!” Slughorn chirped. “I take it you’re finished with your potion, since you’re having such a fun time in my class! You won’t mind if I give it a sip, will you?”</p><p>All eyes on him, Harry muttered an excuse and gave Ron a death glare.</p><p>*</p><p>“So, Harry,” a very tipsy Hannah said, wiggling her eyebrows, “what will it be? Truth or dare?”</p><p><em> Why did I agree to this again? </em>  Was the only answer his scattered thoughts supplied.</p><p>“Er—dare,” he blurted after a moment.</p><p>Hannah’s eyebrow wiggling increased exponentially. </p><p>“How about you give your boyfriend a snog, then?” A chorus of giggles exploded around them. “I think we’ve all been wondering what you two get up to in the cupboards.”</p><p>“He—Malfoy’s <em>not</em>—” Harry spluttered, but his words caught in his throat when he saw the state Draco was in: pink from throat to ears, mouth slightly parted. Eyes filled with dread, but keen on straying from Harry’s gaze down to his lips. He’d clearly had one drink too many. </p><p>A push on his back made him topple forward, and, as several people cheered, Harry crawled toward Draco, unable to remember or care why his sober self would think this was a terrible idea. </p><p>“Potter,” Draco breathed, a hand grasping Harry’s waist. Half-lidded eyes falling on his lips again. Harry’s breath hitched.</p><p>“We can—I mean, we don’t have to—”</p><p>“<em>Potter</em>.”</p><p>A pull at his hip; a fist clenched around his jumper. Urgent.</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>Draco’s hands slid against his scalp and into his hair, making him shiver. </p><p>“Thanks,” Draco murmured against his lips. “For… you know. Your <em>assistance</em>.”</p><p>“You’re w—”</p><p>Draco’s lips parted and caught Harry’s lower one in a kiss. The last thing Harry noticed before the last of his coherent thoughts left him with a low moan was Ron’s half-frustrated, half-victorious cry of, “I knew it!” </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Come find us on Tumblr @april-thelightfury115 and @rockmarina!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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